The opportunity to share some of those memories, and at the same time pay tribute to good friends - both the late C.B. (Stubb) Stubblefield and the big man, Jessie "Guitar" Taylor, who passed away this year - is why Ely agreed to perform a free outdoor gig at 12:30 p.m. Saturday next to the Stubb statue erected where the barbecue joint once stood.

Care of the statue site falls under the jurisdiction of the Lubbock Arts Alliance. Elizabeth Regner, executive director of the alliance, said that yearly upkeep costs average between $3,000 and $3,500.

William Kerns

That includes landscaping, maintenance (care of the lighting) and utility bills (water for sprinkler use, electricity at night).

The alliance appreciates donations, but Saturday's Stubb Statue Party is free. Regner did say that there will be donation jars placed here and there, in case anyone is of a mind to help out.

In addition, the noon meal of the day is (what else?) barbecue. Barbecue meal tickets are $6 and on sale in advance at all Select-A-Seat outlets. Those funds also will be used to maintain the grounds and the statue.

The music at the statue falls under the umbrella of the Lubbock Music Festival; thus, festival supporters can kick off the day at the statue with an 11:30 a.m. appearance by Thriftstore Cowboys and, when Ely and the gang's jam session ends around 3 p.m., simply head down to the Depot Entertainment District and hang out, listening to more music, for another 11 hours.

Artist/musician Terry Allen's sculpture of Stubblefield - whose catchphrase was, "I'm just a cook" - "is one of the most unique pieces of sculpture I have ever seen," said Ely. "It's sort of a landmark akin to Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.

"Stubb's was a totally unique place where people came together from all walks of life to make music and uplift our own spirits and those of others. There always was a mix of cultures, a mix of races; it was blacks meeting whites, blues meeting country. It was a melting pot.

"Some of the most magical times of my life, as far as getting together and playing, took place at Stubb's. And Jesse was always there."

Taylor probably was the first white musician to discover Stubb's. That happened when he was hitchhiking and Stubblefield picked him up, took him to the restaurant and fed him.

Ely said, "Jesse fell in love with Stubb and the building and the barbecue and the jukebox. So we started jamming down there."

Stubblefield always seemed to be broke, Ely recalled, in part because he was always feeding Lubbock's pickers and singers.

Indeed, Stubb's Barbecue became known for its Sunday night jams, but every jam was preceded by Stubb providing "an afternoon dinner for musicians," Ely recalled.